An extra cup of Hastings

We went through a few of the early years of Agatha Christie’s Poirot and I was struck by the character of Hastings – the man was so daft as to be unbelievable.

I understand that this is supposed to be someone the audience identifies with, but as we watched through the series I felt like we gained knowledge, could anticipate the plot. The good Captain continued not to have a clue.

He also seemed to embody every bland British phrase, and I don’t mean the word is bland but rather every time he had the chance to say/be something interesting he would respond with a “Well, you know” or “Cheerio.”

But to make him interesting would be to take away from Poirot, so maybe it’s not all the Captain’s fault.